Soccer-Shakhtar sinked Monaco to reach Champions League group stage

Shakhtar Donetsk clinched a berth in the lucrative Champions League group stage with a dramatic 3-2 aggregate win over Monaco after fighting back from two goals down in their playoff round return leg on Wednesday.

Trailing 1-0 from the first leg at home, Monaco turned the tide as a Wissam Ben Yedder brace gave them a 2-0 lead on the night in Kharkiv before second-half substitute Marlos levelled the tie with a 74th-minute goal.

With the away goals rule no longer in effect in European club competition as of this season, Shakhtar forced the final twist thanks to a 114th-minute own goal from Monaco captain Ruben Aguilar after the French side missed a string of chances.

Salzburg completed a 4-2 aggregate win over Danes Brondby as they raced into a 2-0 lead in the opening 10 minutes of the return leg before the home side netted a consolation.

Sheriff Tiraspol became the first Moldovan side to reach the group stage of Europe's elite club competition after a goalless draw at Dinamo Zagreb sealed a shock 3-0 overall victory against the Croatian champions.

The group stage draw will be held in Istanbul on Thursday.